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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195610">Queen Anne's Triumph</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse16/pseuds/spirithorse16'>spirithorse16</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>16th Century CE RPF, The Spanish Princess (TV), The Tudors (TV), The White Princess (TV), The White Queen (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:14:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195610</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse16/pseuds/spirithorse16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if all of Anne's pregnancies resulted in children, how would history change</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anne Boleyn/Henry VIII of England</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>192</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Triumph</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>01 August 1534</strong>
</p><p>Queen Anne, formerly the Lady Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke screamed as the contractions tore through her body, as she pushed she prayed, this was her second pregnancy, and she praying against all hope that this child was a boy. Henry had been disappointed with their darling Elizabeth's sex, she knew that and her father had impressed upon her how important it was that this child be a boy.</p><p>"I can see the head," said Mistress Collins, the midwife</p><p>"Well done, Anne," said Lady Mary Carey squeezing her hand, "You're nearly there,"</p><p>"One last push my lady," said Mistress Collins</p><p>Gathering what little strength she had left and with a last prayer to god, Anne pushed with everything she had. She was relieved to hear the wailing of a child who was clearly not happy about its present situation, Anne held her breath,</p><p>"A boy, my lady" cried the midwife in jubilation over the wail of the baby, "A healthy baby boy,"</p><p>Anne didn't have time to say anything because another contraction stole her attention with a cry.</p><p>"There's a second baby your Majesty, you must find the strength to push again," said Mistress Collins with urgency</p><p>Anne didn't know how, but somehow from deep within her she felt an inexplicable strength, and with that last reserve of energy, she pushed and felt the familiar sensation of a child sliding from her body, who like its brother entered the world with a displeased cry.</p><p>"Well..." demanded Anne,</p><hr/><p>Henry looked up at the sound of someone running towards his chambers,</p><p>"Out of my, I must speak to the king," a Page wearing Anne's livery was pushing his through to his chambers a look of excitement on his face.</p><p>Heart thudding in his chest, "Let him through," he commanded</p><p>The page came to a stop and bowed deeply,</p><p>"Well," demanded Henry</p><p>The page broke into a wide smile, "Her majesty is safely delivered, of healthy twin sons," he said emphasizing each word as he spoke,</p><p>To Henry, the world seemed to stop, "You are sure," he asked in a whisper</p><p>The page nodded, "The princes were born not 1 hour ago, with mother and babes apparently doing well,"</p><p>Henry couldn't believe it, surely now the world would see his cause was just, in just over 18 months of marriage, Anne had produced 2 sons as well as their precious princess. He turned to the other men in his rooms,</p><p>"My lord we can waste no time," he said sharply, "My Lords Norfolk and Wiltshire will arrange the festivities, I want no expense spared,"</p><p>"Yes your majesty," said Thomas Boleyn,</p><p>Charles Brandon looked anywhere but Anne's family, he knew that her father and uncle would be unbearable now that jumped up bitch of theirs's had borne the King, not one but two sons, and any chance there might have been of Henry coming to his senses and discarding Anne Boleyn had just vanished. As he looked up to see Henry hurrying away in the direction of Anne's apartments, he felt his heart sink the King moved further away, he had briefly hoped that when Anne bore Elizabeth it would be enough to shake the King away from but alas now there was nothing anyone could do.</p><hr/><p>Anne looked at the two precious bundles in her arms, they had been cleaned and swaddled, with a green ribbon placed around the wrist of her eldest son and a white ribbon around the wrist of her second son. <em>Her sons, </em>Anne felt a thrill every time she thought those two words over and over again, <em>her sons. </em>She looked up as Henry came bursting into her rooms with a delighted smile on his face,</p><p>"My beloved Queen," he said striding over to her and kissing her being careful to squash the two boys in her arms, "I can never thank you enough for this," he said, although he seemed calm Anne got the sense he was trying hard to cry, with a nod she dismissed her ladies so that they could have some privacy.</p><p>"It would appear we have a Prince of Wales and a Duke of York," said Anne, allowing Henry to take their firstborn son,</p><p>Henry looked at his eldest son, "I think King Henry IX has a good ring to it, and Edward, the Duke of York," he said looking up grinning at Anne, who beamed back at him,</p><p>"Prince Henry and Prince Edward," she murmured, "Our boys,"</p><p>They just sat there for what seemed like an eternity before they heard fireworks going off outside the windows, followed swiftly by bells,</p><p>Anne couldn't help but smile, at last, the people would love her...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Enjoy this new chapter</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>02 August 1534</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The More</strong>
</p><p>Katherine of Aragon's heart sank as she read the letter sent to her by the Imperial ambassador, the harlot had borne twin sons. Just the thought sent twinges of pain to her already broken heart, she knew her husband well, this would confirm to him that he had been right all along. How could this be God's will she thought, why would he deny her the sons she had so longed for, in 18 months Anne Boleyn had delivered three healthy children whereas she had managed only 1 in 7 years. Wincing, Katherine crossed she knew it was a sin to question God's will but still, she couldn't help but ask why. Pushing her aching and sore body out of her chair, she made her way over the altar in her rooms, knelt down, and began to pray. After a few hours, she rose to see the shadows now lengthening as the sun began to set, turning to see some of her few remaining ladies setting out her evening meal, they curtsied and retreated to a distance as she approached the table. Sitting down she glanced out of the window again, her thoughts as they so often did drift to her daughter Mary. Katherine knew she was being forced to wait upon Anne's Boleyn eldest bastard Elizabeth but aside from that, she had no other news of her since Henry had forbidden the Imperial ambassador to visit her. Katherine longed to see her daughter, but the price needed to do so was just too great, Katherine closed her eyes, surely things couldn't get any worse.</p><hr/><p>No one needed to tell Mary that Anne had successfully delivered her child, nor the sex of that child, the frantic packing by the servants and the sharp orders being barked by Lady Bryan did that better than any messenger could, but when Lady Bryan summoned her she was still surprised by the news that was delivered,</p><p>"Lady Mary, I'm sure you will be delighted to know that her Majesty Queen Anne has been safely delivered of twins sons," said Lady Bryan</p><p>Mary was appalled, not just one but two sons, how could God allow this to happen,</p><p>Lady Bryan continued "The Princess and her household will be going to court the christening of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York,"</p><p>Mary didn't miss the way Lady Bryan had stressed <em>Prince </em>when she said Prince of Wales, Mary knew that Lady Bryan knew she still refused to yield her position as the true heir to the throne,</p><p>"You will be accompanying us to court, where you will be expected to attend the Princess at all times, is that understood Lady Mary,"</p><p>"Yes, Lady Bryan," replied Mary with her curtsey when Lady Bryan dismissed her. As she left Mary wasn't sure what to think, she would be going to court where she would be under the same roof as her father for the first time in six years, how would he react to her and how did Anne feel knowing that the true Princess of Wales would be back at court. Perhaps seeing his oldest child would make her father soften towards and perhaps even let her see her mother, Mary was certain that Anne didn't want the King to see his daughter because she knew he would be reminded of his love for her. She then thought of Elizabeth and her two new brothers, they were bastards for sure, but Mary would not allow harm to come to any of them, once the King had awoken from the spell of their mother Mary would ensure they were kept safe from her evil, but Mary was sure that they would never inherit the throne, she had to believe that God had a plan.</p><hr/><p>Eustace Chapuys watched bitterly as the celebrations continued, they had started in the early evening yesterday, after the news of the concubine's deliveries had been announced. Apparently, the English people were now prepared to forgive Anne Boleyn for all the crimes she had committed against Queen Katherine, Princess Mary, and the church. Just over 11 months ago he'd been hoping the King would discard his slut when she delivered him a worthless daughter, but he'd stood by her, her daughter, and his decisions. Now she'd delivered not one but two sons which the King had taken as a sign that he was right to discard Queen Katherine. He watched as the Harlot's father, brother, and uncle spoke with the King laughing and jesting. He'd hoped that Brereton would succeed in poisoning the Harlot whilst she was pregnant and killed two birds with one stone, or this case three but it would appear that he'd failed. He would need to speak with Brereton and find out what went wrong, he also needed to find someone else who could help them as it was now clear that killing the Whore was a greater task than he had previously thought.</p><hr/><p>Henry looked around the Great Hall, the celebrations had been going on all through the night and well into the new day, the English people as well as himself had waited so long for a Prince of Wales, and now they had one along with a Duke of York and beautiful princess. He watched as George struggled to pour wine into goblets, clearly intoxicated as were many of the other courtiers, turning to the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Wiltshire,</p><p>"I'm going to see the Queen," he said "I can trust gentlemen, that you can keep celebrations going in my absence,"</p><p>"Of course, Your Majesty," replied Anne's father his grin threatening to split his face, with that Henry turned to leave.</p><hr/><p>Chapuys watched as the King left the Great Hall and headed towards the Harlot's apartments, scanning the Great Hall again he realized there were several people who were not that enthusiastic about the Concubine's deliveries, among them the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, Chapuys knew that Lady Catherine Brandon was the daughter of one the Queen's former ladies and that both were supporters of the Queen and the Pope, both would be in a position to help him deal with the Witch before she could do more damage, however, he would need to proceed carefully, the Duke was the King's oldest friend and might decide to report Chapuys to the King as opposed to helping him, but if he could convince Suffolk to help him then there could still be a chance to save England, even if the King decided not to denounce his bastards by Anne, if they were under the care of Queen Katherine then the little Prince of Wales could be raised to be a good Catholic King.</p><hr/><p>Henry made his way to Anne's chambers, he felt lighter and happier than he had in years, he now saw he was wrong to ever doubt Anne after she delivered Elizabeth, after all a healthy daughter in less than 1 year of marriage was a good sign, however, now he had irrefutable proof that he was right to annul his accursed union with Katherine, there was not a person in Europe who could deny that his marriage to Anne was not blessed when they had 3 children in less than 18 months of marriage.</p><p>As he walked into Anne's outer chambers he could see that many of the senior ladies in her household were absent, no doubt still in her bed-chamber, he ignored the bows and curtsies from Anne's Chamberlain and the more junior maids and made his way the doors of her bed-chamber, pushing them open slightly to see Anne sat up in bed with their two sons in her arms, Henry's heart soared when she smiled at him as he entered her room, her ladies curtsies and retreating to give some privacy.</p><p>"My Love," she whispered handing over Prince Henry,</p><p>"Oh my Queen, they are both so beautiful," said Henry looking down at his son, it was clear even at this point that Henry and Edward were not identical, Henry already had a small amount of bright red hair, the same as Elizabeth whereas Edward had darker hair like Anne, but without a doubt, he was sure both of his boys would be the most handsome princes in Europe.</p><p>"I have sent for Elizabeth, she and her household should arrive in a couple of days," he said grinning at the thought of seeing his darling daughter again,</p><p>Anne beamed at him, "I am glad, she truly is a darling girl," she said,</p><p>Henry chuckled, "She's has you for a mother, she could never be anything less than perfect,"</p><p>Anne laughed at that, "Careful, My Lord you shall turn me into a vain woman with all of these compliments,"</p><p>Henry grinned wolfishly "Ah, my dark and evil plot has been discovered," he said in mock sorrow,</p><p>Anne just laughed, it seemed despite the issues in the days following Elizabeth's birth, everything was going to be fine, their two boys were strong and Elizabeth was on her way there was nothing that could go wrong now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>04 August 1534</strong>
</p><p>"God, of his almighty grace, give and grant good life and long to the right high, right excellent and noble Prince Henry and Prince Edward of England, dear and entirely beloved sons of our most dread and gracious lord, King Henry the eighth," boomed the Archbishop of Canterbury</p><p>Mary watched from the back of the chapel as her two half-brothers were christened, Henry was held by the French Ambassador and Edward by the Scottish Ambassador, her father and Anne were not present as was tradition, Elizabeth was up at the front with the Earl of Wiltshire and Lady Bryan, it galled her to see how delighted the common people were to see the two boys. When she entered the chapel, Mary had fully expected the English people to flock to her delighted to see their true heir to the throne, and hopefully, that would have brought her father back to reason and sanity but instead, no one, not the courtiers or the common people paid her the slightest bit of notice instead called out blessings to the little princes. It filled her with a frightening rage as she watched her brother be invested with the title of Prince of Wales, and with horror as the English people cheered rather than reject it and defend the true Princess of Wales. How could they be so blind as to accept this bastard, albeit a royal bastard, over a young woman who was the only legitimate child of the king of England?</p><p>When the ceremony was over the procession moved through the corridors of Whitehall to Anne's apartments, which Mary noted were closer to the King's than her mother's had been, the doors opened and the twin boys were placed into the arms of their mother who kissed their foreheads, Mary, however, paid no attention and instead looked towards her father, hoping for a glance in her direction, and look of affection to tell that he still loved her, that she was still his pearl, but no such thing came, her father's attention was solely on his Concubine and her bastards and the look of love and affection he gave them, that he had once reserved just Mary and her Mother filled the young woman with a rage she'd never known before, and she was relieved when the procession bowed and left the apartments and Mary made her way back to the rooms that were being used as the Nursery with the rest of Elizabeth's household. As Mary retreated she missed her father looking up and glancing in her direction.</p><hr/><p>Henry watched as his stubborn eldest daughter left the Queen's apartments, if he was honest with himself he was not quite sure what to do, on the one hand, she still hadn't signed the oath but on the other hand, the English had already accepted their little Prince Harry as heir to the throne so perhaps her capitulation was not as necessary as it had once been. Sighing he turned back to his wife and their three children, Elizabeth had grown since that last time he'd seen her and despite that fact she was not quite 10 months old, it was clear she was a Tudor through and through, as though she knew he was thinking about her Elizabeth looked up at him gave a big toothy smile and all thoughts of Mary vanished as he picked Elizabeth up and spun her around,</p><p>"Papa, papa," giggled the girl with delight</p><p>"My Elizabeth," said Henry smiling at his precious daughter, with Anne chuckling quietly from the bed,</p><p>"She really is your daughter," Anne grinned</p><p>"Ah, my Queen you give yourself too little credit, for she gets her beauty from you," said Henry before pausing briefly,</p><p>"What is it," asked Anne noticing</p><p>"Well, I've been thinking that Elizabeth needs a title of her own," said Henry,</p><p>Anne furrowed her brow in confusion,</p><p>"The oldest son of the King is traditionally the Prince of Wales, but there is no special title for the eldest daughter of the King,"</p><p>"Oh what did you have in mind," asked Anne, she quite liked the idea of her precious daughter having a special title of her own,</p><p>"I was thinking, Princess Royal," replied Henry</p><p>Anne grinned, "I think it's an excellent idea,"</p><p>"I'm known to have them from time to time," jested Henry and Anne laughed as well,</p><p>"Every now and again," Anne teased her husband who laughed, as did Elizabeth in his arms,</p><p>"What do you think my jewel," said Henry to Elizabeth</p><p>"Papa, papa" grinned the little girl,</p><p>"Well, that settles it," said the red-haired monarch, "There is something else," he continued</p><p>"Oh," said Anne</p><p>"Mary, I'm not sure what to do with her," said Henry looking troubled,</p><p>"What do you mean," replied Anne, she had known that her stepdaughter would come up at some point,</p><p>"She still hasn't signed the oath, but I do miss her," confessed Henry looking at his wife,</p><p>Anne sighed, "I know, and I would love to welcome her into the family,"</p><p>Henry looked at her in surprise,</p><p>"She is your daughter, my love nothing will change that and therefore she's apart of the family bastard or not,"</p><p>"I don't know what to do," admitted Henry</p><p>"Talk to her, let hear the reasons for the oath from your own lips and the consequences of not doing so," suggested Anne</p><p>Henry thought about it, perhaps that was what Mary needed, so far he'd only sent messengers, maybe she thought they were exaggerating the seriousness of her obstinance. Turning to his wife, "You really are very clever," he grinned</p><p>His wife sat up with a mock glare, "Have you only just noticed," she said with a giggle.</p><hr/><p>"What happened," hissed Chapuys, he'd finally managed to track down Brereton when he'd finally found him it was clear that the man of devasted by his failure.</p><p>"I don't know," he moaned "I spiked her food three times and each time nothing,"</p><p>Chapuys closed his eyes, apparently, the poison hadn't worked,</p><p>"What now," asked Brereton, "The Whore's brats will destroy England if one of them takes the throne,"</p><p>"That can never be allowed to happen, and we must prevent the whore from potentially birthing a third son," mused Chapuys</p><p>"I'll do anything," begged Brereton sounding almost desperate,</p><p>"Are you prepared to kill them, the whore and all of her bastards," asked Chapuys deciding not sugar coat things,</p><p>Brereton paused, whilst he had issues killing Anne, her children were innocent, and killing children was not an idea he considered lightly, on the other hand, if allowed to live all three children would be in the way of Princess Mary and the throne.</p><p>"I'll do it," said Brereton with an almost maniacal grin, "My position in the King's household means I will be able to find a way to strike,"</p><p>Chapuys nodded "I wish you the best of luck" and with that, the two parted ways.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>10 August 1534</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Whitehall Palace</strong>
</p><p>Henry grimaced as he waited in his study, he'd sent a messenger 10 minutes ago, requesting the Lady Mary come to his study. Shaking his head he mentally chastised himself, this was ridiculous he shouldn't be nervous about speaking to his own daughter, although if he was honest with himself it wasn't that he was nervous about speaking with Mary, but nervous that she would refuse to see sense and he would be forced to act.</p><p>"The Lady Mary Tudor," announced his Chamberlin,</p><p>Henry straightened himself instantly, not allowing a single flicker of worry to cross his features as his now 18-year-old daughter entered the room and instantly dropped into to a graceful curtsey. Henry took a moment to look over her; she had grown into a beautiful young women, however, when he bid her to rise he saw shining hope in her eyes. Henry resisted the urge to sigh, he already knew this conversation was going to be a lost cause, it was clear as day that Mary thought he had summoned her to inform her that he was returning to her mother, once again resisting the urge to sigh, he resolved to still try if only to salve his own conscience.</p><p>"Mary," said Henry gesturing for her to take a seat</p><p>"Your Majesty," said Mary smiling at him,</p><p>Henry paused not knowing where to begin, finally, he spoke deciding to be as direct as possible,</p><p>"Will you take the oath," he asked, and the look of shock the passed over Mary's face confirmed his earlier thoughts.</p><p>"How can you ask that of me," cried Mary,</p><p>"It is required by every English subject," said Henry fighting to keep control of his temper, recognising he was going to need to keep calm if he wanted any chance of making his daughter see reason.</p><p>"I don't understand, why," asked Mary,</p><p>Henry knew what she was asking,</p><p>"Because, my marriage to your mother was invalid, and yet there are still people who believe otherwise," he said pointedly hoping Mary would see reason,</p><p>"The pope declared it to be valid," she said desperately tears shining in her eyes,</p><p>"The pope has no bearing on this country anymore," said Henry as patiently as he could, he couldn't understand how his daughter could be so blind,</p><p>"This is all her doing," snarled Mary suddenly her tears replaced by a rage that actually frightened the King for a moment,</p><p>"If by her, you mean <em>Queen </em>Anne, then yes she was the one that opened my eyes to the true religion," said the red-haired monarch calmly albeit with a warning in his tone, a warning that Mary seemed to either miss or ignore.</p><p>"She's no Queen," hissed Mary, "She has stolen that title from my mother,"</p><p>"Your Mother was no Queen, she lied to me and cursed our marriage," growled Henry, he could feel his temper at breaking point "I would like to remind you that God has now smiled on Anne's womb twice whereas your Mother only managed one living babe in two decades of marriage,"</p><p>"She is nothing but a, witch and a whore and all of her brats are bastards," hissed Mary,</p><p>"Silence," roared Henry, Mary froze apparently realising she had crossed a line, "I will no longer tolerate show insubordination, you will either sign the oath or I shall be forced to take action against you"</p><p>Mary looked at him horrified, "Action,"</p><p>"You have a choice you need to make here and now," said Henry, "Either sign the oath, or you shall have no affection from me and you shall not be allowed to see your mother, furthermore you shall continue your duties in attendance on the Princess Elizabeth until you relent,"</p><p>Mary just looked at him, "What," she stuttered</p><p>"That is your choice," repeated Henry looking at his daughter, when she didn't answer "Very well, you shall return to your duties on Elizabeth," said Henry in a cold formal tone and then summoned a page,</p><p>"Please will you escort the Lady Mary back to the nursery and tell Lady Bryan than must speak with her," and with that, he dismissed them both,</p><p>Only a few minutes Lady Bryan came in looking somewhat confused,</p><p>"Lady Bryan," said Henry after she'd curtsied "I'm most grateful to the wonderful care you have provided Princess Elizabeth and no doubt will provide to our beloved sons,"</p><p>"Your Majesty, it is a true honour" replied Lady Bryan looking quite pleased by that compliment.</p><p>"I'm must also ask another task of you," said Henry</p><p>"Of course your Majesty,"</p><p>"I'm tasking you with ensuring that the Lady Mary understands her place in this world," said the King</p><p>Lady Bryan's eyes widened but she curtsied "Yes, Your Majesty," she said</p><p>"You have my permission to use whatever methods you deem necessary," said Henry and with that, he dismissed her, as Lady Bryan left Henry leaned back in his chair, he hated the idea of humiliating and punishing his pearl but she needed to learn her place, Henry could never bring himself to sign her death warrant, however, he still couldn't let her defiance go unpunished, perhaps by hearing this from his own lips and given some time to think about Mary would finally submit.</p><hr/><p>Mary could hardly contain her tears, the words that had come from her once loving father had stung and burned deeply. How could her father be so blind, was Anne Boleyn's spell so strong that her father truly could not see the damage she was doing. When he'd first summoned her Mary couldn't believe, she was sure the God had finally answered his prayers and made her father see reason, her heart had grown lighter with every step, soon her Mother would be back at court and Anne Boleyn would be banished. Mary would make sure that her siblings were kept away from their vile mother and their maternal family, so even if the King insisted that little Henry was to be his heir, her mother could raise them to be good Catholics. But then it all went wrong, she couldn't believe that her once loving father was now so cold and distant towards her. She knew the price for her father's love and the price to be with her mother, but it was just to greater price to pay, for Mary would never sacrifice her immortal soul, even for the parents she loved so much.</p><p>The worst part was when Mary looked at her brothers, it was clear they were sired by her father. She couldn't understand how a vile heretic like Anne could be blessed with 3 healthy children including 2 sons in the space of 18 months, whilst her own mother failed to deliver the son, Mary knew she had badly wanted, maybe the rumours about Anne being a witch really were true, and that her sons were in fact sired by the Devil, her poor father was so enamoured by this witch that he couldn't see the truth.</p><hr/><p>Anne gazed at her beautiful sons lying in their cribs, still unable to quite believe they were here, Doctor Linacre had finally allowed her to leave her bed, and she currently sat in a chair by the roaring fire. She looked up when Nan came in,</p><p>"Your Majesty, the Earl of Wiltshire is here," said Nan,</p><p>"Send him in," said Anne</p><p>"Sweetheart," said her father striding in, bending down to kiss her on the cheek,</p><p>"Father," replied Anne warmly dismissing her ladies, "Meet your grandsons, Henry and Edward,"</p><p>"They are truly extraordinary," said the Earl, "You did well,"</p><p>Anne smiled all though slightly strained, her father hadn't reacted nearly so well to his granddaughter,</p><p>"The King has spoken to the Lady Mary," continued Thomas Boleyn, Anne looked at him,</p><p>"Do you know how it went," asked Anne,</p><p>"It would appear the girl has once again refused to see reason," replied her father,</p><p>Anne signed, she wanted to feel sorry for Mary, but she found it hard to do so when the girl continued to cause her own misery and refuse to see reason.</p><p>"Well hopefully hearing the options directly from the King will help to make the right decision eventually," said Anne doubtfully,</p><p>"Maybe," said the Earl kissing her hand before taking his leave.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is the next chapter as always please read and review,<br/>I'm always open to ideas</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>23 December 1535</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Whitehall Palace</strong>
</p><p>Mistress Jane Seymour looked around Whitehall in awe, the palace was huge and magnificent, just as she imagined it would be. She was thrilled to be at court finally, her only regret was that she wasn't here to serve the great Katherine of Aragon, but the pretender Anne Boleyn. She dare not voice this opinion out loud though, her brother Edward has made it quite clear that she was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity that many other young ladies would kill to have. As the page dressed in the false Queen's livery led her through winding corridors to the Queen's apartments. They arrived at two great oak doors, which had a guard of either side, the page knocked and the doors swung open into vast opulent chamber, beautifully decorated and furnished, the page gestured for her to walk, where Jane was met by a Lady dressed in an ivory and cream dress,</p><p>"Mistress Seymour," said the Lady "I am Mistress Saville, senior lady to her Majesty,"</p><p>"Mistress Saville," curtsied Jane politely</p><p>"Her Majesty, will be here in a moment, you are not to speak to her unless invited to do so, do you understand," said Mistress Saville cooly,</p><p>"Yes Mistress Saville," said Jane, and at that moment Anne Boleyn walked in, Jane was very surprised to see she was indeed a beautiful woman, she had been inclined to believe the talk about the false Queen's alleged beauty to just be gossip spread by her family. When she walked Jane curtsied although she was loathed to do so, but knew it was required of her.</p><p>"Mistress Seymour welcome to court," said Anne Boleyn</p><p>"Your majesty is very kind," replied Jane,</p><p>"I trust that your duties have been explained to you," said Anne</p><p>"Yes, your Majesty," said Jane again, working hard to keep the disgust out of her tone this woman truly had no conscience. Not only had this woman seduced a married man forcing the noble Queen Katherine into exile, she had forced the King to keep his daughter and her mother separated, with the Princess Mary being forced to wait upon her bastard half-sister. Jane was relieved when she was dismissed and was taken by Mistress Saville to the seamstress to be measured for her uniform.</p><hr/><p>Anne watched as Mistress Seymour walked away, there was something about the girl that concerned her. Anne shook her head perhaps she was overthinking things, after all, Henry hadn't strayed since the twins were born and both of the boys, as well as Elizabeth, was thriving, not mention she was now four months pregnant, due in May, yes thought Anne it was probably just pregnancy hormones, either way, she vowed to keep an eye of Mistress Seymour just in case. Anne was pulled from her thoughts when Henry strode into to her chambers looking very jolly,</p><p>"How are you my love," he asked kissing her on the lips and then putting his hand on her swollen belly, "How are both of you,"</p><p>"We are both well," said Anne chuckling, all worries driven from her head,</p><p>"I've sent a messenger to Hatfield, our children will be here in a few days," said Henry grinning at the thought of seeing his precious boys and beloved jewel again,</p><p>"Oh, I'm so glad," replied Anne, "It seems like forever since we last saw, even though it was only September,"</p><p>Henry laughed, "I know what you mean,"</p><p>"My nieces will be pleased to see their cousins again," said Anne, less than a month after the twins were born George's wife Jane had delivered a daughter and they had named her Anne, the second Lady Anne Boleyn. Although her sister-in-law would not be present having recently gone into confinement, pregnant with her second child due in February. Her other niece also named Anne, would also becoming. When Mary had confessed to her secret marriage to William Stafford, Anne and Henry were initially furious and inclined to banish her, however, in the end, they couldn't stay angry at her for marrying for love as they had done.</p><p>"If our next child is a daughter perhaps we should call her Anne as well," jested Henry</p><p>Anne grinned, "Dear God, four Annes I'm not sure England would cope," pleased that Henry would be content with a second girl.</p><p>As the pair spoke, neither of them were aware of someone watching them</p><hr/><p>"Mama," cried Elizabeth running into her mother's arms,</p><p>"Oh my darling heart," said Anne sweeping her daughter up into her arms, "Let me look at you,"</p><p>"Does Papa not get a hello too," said Henry in mock outrage,</p><p>"Papa," said Elizabeth as Anne handed over their precious daughter into the arms of her waiting father,</p><p>"How are you my jewel," asked the King jovially</p><p>"I'm well Papa," said Elizabeth,</p><p>"Glad to hear it," said the red-haired monarch spinning her around, much to the little girl's delight, Henry's attention was suddenly drawn when he heard two high pitched squeals of delight, looking up he was delighted to see his two boys in their mothers' arms. Still holding Elizabeth he turned to them,</p><p>"How are you my boys," he said with a grin,</p><p>"Papa," responded Harry, and Henry grinned</p><p>"What about you Ned," said Henry</p><p>His younger son responded with a delighted giggle,</p><p>"Is the new baby here yet," asked Elizabeth curiously,</p><p>"No my darling," said Anne,</p><p>"Oh, then when," asked Elizabeth again</p><p>"Not until May," chuckled Anne and Elizabeth's face fell,</p><p>"But that's so long," said the Princess,</p><p>"May will be here before you know it," grinned Henry at his young daughter,</p><hr/><p>Brereton watched as the Royal Family made their way into the Great Hall up to the dais, the King and False Queen sat on their thrones with Elizabeth sat to her mother's side on her own throne, whilst the Prince of Wales sat on his Father's knee and the Duke of York on his Mother's knee. It angered him to no end to see how confident and assured Anne Boleyn seemed as she sat on Queen Katherine's throne alongside the King. Ever since the twins had been born he'd been waiting for the right moment to strike and now this was it, the Harlot and all of her brats under one roof, if chose his timing well he could rid England of all four of them at once.</p><hr/><p>Chapuys had to work hard to swallow his disgust as he approached the King and his concubine, his master was preparing for another possible war with France, and he wanted England's help, and in order to do so, the Emperor was considering offering his daughter as a bride for the little Prince of Wales, however, he knew any alliance would rely on him accepting the Harlot as Queen and denouncing his aunt. Chapuys knew that his master would not have considered this lightly, particularly whilst his Aunt was still alive, but France was already making overtures suggesting the King Francis's youngest son as a bridegroom for Princess Elizabeth, and the last thing the Emperor wanted was for the Prince of Wales to wed a French bride, and so Chapuys had received strict instructions to treat Anne with all the courtesies that only Queen Katherine was entitled to receive. So with great reluctance when he came to the foot of the dais he bowed deeply to the King and then to Anne,</p><p>"Your Majesties," said Chapuys "I bring an offer on behalf on my master,"</p><p>"Say on," said Henry intrigued</p><p>"My master is proposing the hand of his daughter the Infanta Joanna, to your Majesty's son the Prince of Wales," replied the Spanish Ambassador,</p><p>Henry smiled pleasantly, allowing no sign of the joy or triumph that he felt, the fact that Chapuys was currently telling him this meant the Emperor was sincere in his proposal, and both he and Chapuys knew that the price for his son was the public acknowledgement that Anne was and his marriage to Katherine had been unlawful.</p><p>"Well, tell your Master I look forward to starting negotiations, for I can think of no better match than the Infanta Joanna," replied Henry pleasantly and with that dismissed Chapuys. As the man turned and left he and Anne exchanged glances, both understanding the weight of the conversation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So who do you think the Royal children should marry,<br/>Jane Seymour is here now, what is she going to do that is the question<br/>Will the Emperor's proposal affect Chapuys and Brereton's plans</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you like this new chapter,</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>14 February 1536</strong>
</p><p>The mood at Hever Castle was a sombre one, the passing during the night of the Countess of Ormonde in childbirth weighing heavily on the minds of all the inhabitants. The Earl of Ormonde had cooped himself up in the nursery with his daughters.</p><p>"Poor darlings," commented one of the maids, "Never to know their own mother,"</p><p>It was said by the servants that whilst the Earl mourned his wife, he was delighted by his newest daughter, despite the fact his father the Duke of Wiltshire was known to have wanted a grandson. The new Lady Jane Boleyn was said to be the image of her mother, whilst her elder sister the Lady Anne Boleyn was said to resemble her aunt and namesake.</p><p>George Boleyn stared at the cradle that contained his newest child, the new Lady Jane Boleyn slept contently unaware of her mother's death. In another room, his eldest daughter Anne also slept. He couldn't quite believe it, whilst he and Jane had never loved each other, they had become good friends since Anne was born, but now she was gone leaving her husband to mourn her and raise their two daughters.</p><hr/><p>Anne read aloud the letter that her father had sent them from Hever Castle, her sister-in-law was dead leaving behind a grieving husband and two motherless daughters. She looked up at her husband when she finished handing him the letter to read for himself,</p><p>"Poor George," sighed Anne</p><p>Henry looked at her, "I know it's tragic," agreed the King,</p><p>"I'll write to George, let him know that his girls are welcome in the Royal Nursery at any point," said the auburn-haired Queen,</p><p>Henry nodded his agreement, "Yes, and hopefully a new playmate to follow," he said glancing at Anne's swollen belly. Once the twins had made it past their first year of life, Henry had decided to establish for them a permanent Nursery at court, as he had done so for Mary when she was a girl. He'd had to establish a household for Elizabeth when she was born to make it clear that she was heir to the throne until her brother was born, however now that there was not one but two boys in the nursery Henry had decided it would be nice if they could be closer to their parents, a decision which had delighted Anne when he'd told her on Christmas day.</p><hr/><p>Jane Seymour snuck back into Whitehall carefully, her father and brother, not to mention the King and Queen would be furious if they knew she was sneaking off weekly to listen to sermons about the evils of Anne Boleyn. She'd learnt about them via the whispers of the servants that spoke of secret meetings in the city, and now Jane was attending them weekly. It warmed her heart that despite Anne Boleyn's hold over the King there were still good men and women who opposed the vile harlot. Jane was paying so much attention to keeping quiet that she didn't she the gentlemen rounding the corner until she bumped into him,</p><p>William Brereton studied the young woman he'd just collided with, he recognised her as one of the false queen's ladies, but he'd also seen her at several of the sermons he attended protesting the witch. Looking at her Brereton wondered if he'd found an ally,</p><p>"Forgive me, Sir," said the young women flushing slightly, looking up from the floor</p><p>"Nay, my Lady forgive me," said Brereton, extending her hand to help her up, "What is your name my Lady,"</p><p>"Mistress Jane Seymour," said the Lady taking his hand gratefully,</p><p>"Please, forgive me again my Lady," began Brereton smoothly, he was sure she was an ally but he still needed to tread carefully, "I believe I have seen you Bishop Thompson's sermons,"</p><p>Jane's expression paled, "I can explain," she whispered horrified,</p><p>Brereton smiled reassuringly at her, "No need, My Lady for I believe we are on the same side," and Jane looked at him with a looking of understanding and relief. Yes thought Brereton he definitely had an ally in Mistress Seymour,</p><p>"My father and brother believe I should be honoured to serve her, but how can I when the true Queen remains in exile," said Jane miserably relieved to able to finally express how she really felt.</p><p>Brereton nodded with sympathy, "They've been captured by her spell," he said</p><p>"Yes," said Jane, "I just wish there was something I could do,"</p><p>"Well, my Lady," began Brereton slowly gauging her reaction, "I will confide in you a great secret but only if you are sure you will not speak a word to anyone,"</p><p>"On my immortal soul, I won't say a word," promised Jane,</p><p>"I have been charged with a secret mission by the His Holiness, the Pope himself," said Brereton and Jane's eyes widened, "I have been tasked to rid England, the great Witch and freeing the King and true Queen,"</p><p>"Really," she whispered</p><p>"Yes, and I believe you could be of some help," continued Brereton,</p><p>"How," asked Jane scarcely believing her ears,</p><p>"You are one the Harlot's ladies, do you think you could find a way to gain me access to her," asked Brereton,</p><p>Jane thought about it, "She will be going into confinement soon, that will be as good a time as any," she stated,</p><p>Brereton kissed her hand, "Until we meet again my Lady," before turning and leaving,</p><p>Jane watched him leaving before turning herself and hurrying back to the Queen's apartments.</p><hr/><p>Henry looked up from the plans that Anne was showing him, see Mistress Seymour sneaking in looking quite flushed, suspecting that Mistress Seymour had simply met a man she was dallying with Henry decided not to call attention to it now and bring it up with Anne at a later date and turned back to his wife, he'd decided to turn over the monasteries that were being dissolved to Anne to put to good use, although he knew his Lord Chancellor was far from happy about it. Anne presently had six monasteries in her charge and was showing him her ideas to turn them all into schools so that the poor could get a good education. Henry was aware that the idea of the poor getting a good education had appalled some of his privy councillors, Henry, however, saw nothing wrong with he only had to look at Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell to see what could happen when the poor got an education.</p><p>"My love," said Anne cautiously as though nervous of his reaction,</p><p>"What is it sweetheart, do you have another excellent idea in that amazing head of yours," asked Henry hoping his jest would put her at ease,</p><p>"Well I was thinking that the girls should be able to get an education as well," said Anne looking him straight in the idea, and Henry paused, whilst he knew it was unorthodox, rather like educating the poor Henry could honestly see no reason why girls and boys should not be educated together, he only had to look at his wife and daughter for that. Anne was truly the most intelligent woman he'd ever met and Elizabeth seemed to be following in her Mother's footsteps.</p><p>"I think that's an excellent idea, my love," said Henry</p><p>"Really," replied Anne looking at him shocked,</p><p>Henry laughed, "Of course, I have you and Elizabeth as proof of why girls should be educated," he couldn't help but think that if Elizabeth had been an only child she would have made a formidable Queen regent,</p><p>"They only question is how are we going to persuade people to educate their sons and daughters," pondered Anne,</p><p>All of a sudden Henry laughed,</p><p>"What is it," asked Anne confused,</p><p>Henry turned to her grinning, "I think it is my turn to now have a radical idea," he said laughing loudly</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Perhaps I am making Henry to idealistic and nice, but it's my fanfiction so deal with it, </p><p>Jane and Brereton are plotting together, will their plans work</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have pushed Katherine of Aragon's death back by a few years and you will see why as the story progresses</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Henry exchanged a grin with Anne at the dumbfounded expressions on his councillors faces, he'd just announced that he planned to make it compulsory that every child male and female, from 5 to 11 was to a receive a basic education, and that he was placing the Queen in charge of overseeing it. He knew this was a radical idea but when he and Anne were discussing the monasteries it occurred to him that no child should be denied an education. Between them, he and Anne had decided all of the money that came from the dissolution of the religious houses were to go into a fund to support the creation of schools were boys and girls would learn many of the same lessons. He couldn't help but be amused by the looks of shock on the faces of his councillors, for such brilliant men they still couldn't hold a candle to his exceptional Queen. Furthermore, he planned to make illegal for the Universities to turn away female students,</p><p>Finally, Cromwell managed to find his voice, "Your Majesty, can I ask want has prompted this bold idea of yours," he asked, and Henry was sure that his chancellor had wanted to say crazy idea,</p><p>Glancing again at Anne, Henry turned back to him "It has occurred to me recently, that there is no reason that I can think of that every child in this country should not receive at least a basic education,"</p><p>Cromwell just looked at him, Henry then turned to Anne, "My Queen if you will present your plans,"</p><p>Anne stood up and faced the privy councillors that included her Father and Uncle,</p><p>"My Lords," she began, "It is my intention to create an educational system that will allow everyone to get at least a basic education, I have split the system into two parts, these are primary education which is from 5 until 11, this will be compulsory for every child in the Kingdom, and then secondary education which will be from 11 till 16, this will be optional but recommended," she paused briefly to allow for any questions when she was met by a wall of silence Anne drew another breath and continued,</p><p>"All of the monasteries currently being closed will be turned into schools funded by the state allowing children to attend free of charge," said Anne enjoying the continued looks of shock on the faces of the councillors. "All state-funded schools will be free, although people will be allowed to set up private schools if they wish,"</p><p>Before Anne could continue the Duke of Norfolk spoke up again apparently he'd finally managed to pull himself together enough to voice an objection,</p><p>"Your Majesty, with the greatest of respect, you cannot seriously be thinking this could work," he said addressing the King</p><p>Henry raised an eyebrow at Anne's Uncle, "Oh and why not," he asked,</p><p>"It's just not the done thing," protested the Duke,</p><p>"Maybe in the past, but now I have decided that it shall be the done thing," said the King a tone the brooked no argument, before turning back to Anne, "You were saying sweetheart,"</p><p>Anne grinned at him before continuing "These schools will provide children with an education and adults with employment, as people will be required to tend to the schools in order for them to function.</p><p>"Well, I see nothing wrong with it," spoked Thomas Boleyn with a smile at his daughter, "I have personal experience with educating daughters,"</p><p>"Well then, I see no reason to discuss it further," said the King with a jovial smile at his father-in-law, "Back to you sweetheart," he said to Anne,</p><p>Charles Brandon looked between the King and Anne as she continued to discuss her plans, he knew that Katherine had often brought up education with Henry, who'd usually dismissed it. He was appalled and dismayed at the way Anne's influence continued to grow, and as her latest pregnancy progressed without a hitch, Henry was more in love with her than ever, and whilst this idea of her's on the face of it seemed like a good idea, Brandon knew that she, Cromwell and Cranmer were going to use it to spread their reformist ideas amongst the people, looking up at Henry he could see a look of pure devotion on his face towards Anne, Charles knew he needed to do something to break this spell, sooner rather than later.</p><hr/><p>Queen Katherine of Aragon stared at the letter from the Imperial Ambassador in shock, horror and disgust, her nephew was apparently entertaining the idea of a marriage between his daughter Joanna and the Harlot's bastard son, and in doing so would turn his back on Mary and herself. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath before continuing to read, Chapuys had outlined how Anne had convinced Henry to turn the monasteries that were being dissolved into schools, that would educate boys and girls equally, poor and rich. Katherine couldn't help but feel quite annoyed, she'd tried to convince Henry for years to educate the poor and yet because Anne had delivered twin sons who continued to thrive he listened to her over Katherine. Chapuys was also certain this was a ploy by Anne and her supporters to spread their heretical agenda, and Katherine had to admit, it was very clever of them, by teaching children young they would ensure that the next generation would not question the validity of the King's so-called marriage to Anne, and if the King was able to live long enough, his son would come to the throne of a country where almost no one would question whether or not he had a legitimate claim to the throne, a claim that would only be strengthened if her nephew did indeed decide to marry his daughter Joanna to the little Prince of Wales. Katherine once again closed her eyes, she truly believed things couldn't get much worse and yet she could help but feel it would, the fact that Chapuys had informed of the Emperor's thoughts meant that he was probably serious about it and if it did happen, only God could help Katherine and Mary.</p><hr/><p>Jane Seymour felt her breathing quicken as she waited for Brereton to arrive, Anne would be going into confinement any day now and she needed to talk to Brereton. Relief surged through her as he rounded the corner,</p><p>"My Lady," he said smoothly,</p><p>"The Witch begins her confinement in less than a week, I believe I can find a way to get you in there," said Jane hurriedly looking around,</p><p>Brereton nodded, "Excellent, we can dispose of her and the brat she carries in one fell swoop and then rid the country of her other bastards," he said calmly,</p><p>Jane nodded, although a small part of her was disgusted by the idea of killing three innocent children, four if you counted the one Anne was carrying but she knew it was for the best,</p><p>Brereton looked at her and inclined his head, "Until we meet again," he said before disappearing into the shadows, leaving Jane to hurry back to the Queen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things begin to heat up,</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>hall Palace, London</strong>
</p><p>Anne sighed as she stared at the beautiful day outside of her windows, she'd been in confinement for about 6 weeks now and she was very much bored, even working on the monasteries and schools could only keep her attention for so long during the day, she longed to be able to get out and go for a ride or even just a walk. It would be worth it when her newest child arrived, Anne kept telling herself and in the meantime threw herself into every bit of the decisions needed for the monasteries, with her husband, brother, sister and father coming by regularly to offer advice. George had recently brought his two daughters to court and now they shared the nursery with Elizabeth, Harry, Ned and Annie Stafford, Henry had joked that they were going to needed bigger rooms for the Nursery by them time everything was said and done. Anne looked up from the plans she had been studying to observe her ladies, and all though all of them were diligently sowing or reading, Anne knew they longed to get outside to spend sometime amongst the May Day festivities.</p><p>Sighing Anne spoke up, "Nan," and the Lady in question sprang up instantly, "If you would fetch Lady Stafford, to stay with me then you can all go outside to enjoy this day," Jane suddenly looked up sharply realising this was her chance,</p><p>"Your Majesty, if it pleases you I am more than willing to stay and keep Your Majesty company," said Jane trying to sound eager,</p><p>Anne smiled at the girl, thinking she was eager to prove herself, "Very well," said Anne gently, "As long as you don't mind,"</p><p>"Not at all, Your Majesty it is an honour," said Jane,</p><p>That was when Nan spoke up, "If that is the case, Mistress Seymour will you go and fetch some spare linens for later whilst we get ready,"</p><p>"Of course," said Jane struggling to keep the excitement out of her voice, God must truly be on her's and Brereton's side,</p><p>As Jane left, Anne turned to Nan, "Send for Mary on your way anyway, that way Mistress Seymour can have someone else to talk to, aside from a pregnant and grumpy woman," jested Anne and Nan nodded with a smile,</p><p>20 minutes later Anne was sat up in bed pouring over the plans and every now and again would hum, as a thought flickered through her head, however, her attention was drawn when she saw Mistress Seymour put her sewing down and move towards the doors to her bedchamber,</p><p>"Mistress Seymour, what is it," asked Anne putting down the parchment and pushing herself up straighter in bed. Anne felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when she heard the doors to her apartments open, followed by Jane speaking to someone who was clearly male, "Mistress Seymour," called Anne again, trying to disguise the fear she felt, a fear that only increased as she watched a man enter her bedchamber.</p><p>Sitting up further and trying to look as regal as possible, Anne watched as Jane re-entered the room, "What is going on here," demanded Anne making sure to keep any fear she was feeling out of her tone,</p><p>"We are here to rid England of your poison forever," said the man, whom Anne now recognised as one of Henry's grooms,</p><p>Swallowing back her fear, "Leave now both of you, and I will not inform the King of this transgression," she said imperiously,</p><p>"You will not be informing the King anyway, you whore," snarled the man, "For today, I will be sending you back to hell,"</p><p>Anne's eyes widened and with a sudden surge of energy, pushed herself out of bed, past the man and Jane, Anne fled into her bathing room and slammed the doors closed. As she took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing nerves, she all of sudden felt a sharp contraction, <em>no, no </em>thought Anne not now. She looked up sharply when she heard banging on the door,</p><p>"Open up, you whore," yelled Brereton as Anne now remembered his name to be. Looking around Anne, saw the small side door that was used to air out the bathing room after it was used, trying to ignore the increasing pain that came from her contractions Anne rushed over to it put her hand on the handle and to her relief, the door swung open and Anne ran through just as Brereton came crashing through the doors behind her.</p><hr/><p>Henry hummed a merry tune to himself as he made his way through the palace corridors towards Anne's rooms, he knew his sweetheart was bored and would love to be out watching the festivities herself, however, at the very least Henry wanted her favour before jousted, Anne's favour could never bring him anything but good luck. As he turned a corner he saw Nan Saville and Lady Mary Stafford, Anne's sister coming towards him from another corridor accompanied by little Elizabeth,</p><p>"Papa," said Elizabeth running to her father who swept her up in his arms,</p><p>"Elizabeth," said Henry looking at his precious little princess, "How are you,"</p><p>"I'm good, Papa, Aunt Mary and I are going to see mama," said Elizabeth and Henry turned to his sister-in-law and Nan with a smile, both of whom promptly, curtsied</p><p>"Yes, the Queen has given most of her ladies the day off so, we thought we'd cheer her up," said Mary smiling,</p><p>"Will you come as well Papa," implored Elizabeth,</p><p>"Of course, I need your Mama's favour before I joust," said Henry gesturing for Mary to walk with them,</p><p>"Does Mama's favour always make you win," asked Elizabeth curiously,</p><p>"Always," said Henry solemnly,</p><p>"That's because she's the best mama in the world," said Elizabeth firmly,</p><p>"That she is," agreed Henry with a smile, however any joy the king was feeling was immediately dashed when they arrived at the Queen's apartments to find the two sentries unconscious on the floor, both knocked out by a blow to the head, with a feeling of dread Henry handed Elizabeth to Aunt and commanding her and Nan to wait outside, Henry pushed opened the doors to find Anne's apartments a mess. All of the furniture was overturned and the doors to the bathing room had been kicked off their hinges, and worst of all Anne was nowhere to be found, whirling around he stormed out of the apartments and barked for some guards, and which point a dozen of so promptly appeared, Henry turned to a couple of them,</p><p>"Escort, Lady Stafford and the Princess Elizabeth back to the Nursery at once and bar the doors, no one is allowed in or out of the Nursery without my express command, is that clear," he barked, leaving no room for disagreement,</p><p>As Mary hurried away with the now distraught Elizabeth, Henry whirled around to Nan, "You, said the Queen gave most of her ladies the day off, who was here with her" he asked,</p><p>"Just Mistress Seymour," replied Nan looking terrified, "One of Her Majesty's new ladies, she volunteered to stay behind," even as the words left Nan's mouth Henry could feel a pit of dread forming in his stomach, he had meant to tell Anne of his concerns about Mistress Seymour, but had never got around to it, something he was beginning to regret. Closing his eyes the King turned to some of the remaining guards,</p><p>"You," he barked at two of them "Escort the Seymour family here right now," before finally turning to the Captain of the guards who had just arrived, "The Queen has been attacked and is missing, I want you to find her even if you have to search all of London, and have someone find the Dukes of Wiltshire and Norfolk and the Earl of Ormonde now, and with that, the man hurried off to obey.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh dear, will they find Anne before Brereton gets to her</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anne ran and ran, the door had led out to the back of the palace and into unfamiliar streets, pausing for breath in an alleyway, Anne looked behind her to see Brereton still following her, without even looking where she was going Anne started to run again, all the while she could feel the contractions in her belly increasing, all she needed to do was find some guards she reasoned. Twisting and turning Anne could only wonder how she would look to anyone who glanced out of a window, a clearly pregnant noblewoman running through streets in her nightgown and barefoot. Another contraction brought her to a halt, placing a hand on the wall for support, Anne looked around and much to her delight she could see a side gate that led into the royal gardens, however, upon closer inspection it seemed the gate was locked, mentally cursing Anne paused to think, she was fairly certain this gate led in next to the ponds if that was the case the main entrance to gardens used by the commoners of public occasions was not far which meant if she followed the wall she would be able to get into the gardens and hopefully back to the palace,</p><hr/><p>John, Edward and Thomas Seymour stood in the King's study looking terrified as the King looked at him with undiluted hatred,</p><p>"Did you know, your daughter was a traitor," bellowed the King at Sir John Seymour, apparently he was not the only one who had been suspicious of his wife's new Lady, his Lord Chancellor had noticed something off about her as well, and had done some investigating and had apparently discovered that Mistress Seymour had been sneaking off weekly to sermons held in the city that were slandering the Queen, and whilst he understood his Chancellor's decision to wait until he had more evidence that Mistress Seymour was a traitor, Henry now bitterly wished he'd been told sooner.</p><p>"I assure you, Your Majesty, we had no idea that Jane was involved with such activities," said Edward stepping in for his father, who looked like he might faint, and Henry looked at them all with disgust,</p><p>"And I assure you, Master Seymour," said Henry lowly, "If the Queen is not found alive and well, then all of you will pay the price for your sister's treachery, do you understand,"</p><p>All of them nodded,</p><p>Henry then turned to one of the guards, "Escort them back to their chambers, they are not to leave until I say otherwise," and with that the Seymours' left, turning to Thomas and George Boleyn "We will find Anne," he said firmly,</p><p>"I don't doubt that," said Thomas Boleyn glaring after the retreating Seymours, and Henry got the distinct impression the man was having to work very hard not to run the Seymours through with his sword, a feeling that Henry echoed,</p><p><em>I swear, I will find you, Anne, </em>he thought, and then, <em>Please God, look after them both,"</em></p><hr/><p>Anne stopped again to catch her breath, her contractions were coming faster and harder now and it was making it difficult to run, shivering Anne looked up and the sky, the beautiful day was gone and had been replaced by dark angry storm clouds, grimacing Anne prayed that it wouldn't rain before she got back to the palace. Looking around Anne finally thought her prayers had been answered, an open side gate into the royal gardens, thanking God she picked up her skirts and ran through the gate and much to her delight she realised she was at the far end of the maze, however before she could start to run again, another contraction surge through this time accompanied by a gush of fluids down her legs,</p><p><em>Oh no, </em>thought Anne, steadying herself she took a deep breath, however as she readied herself to run, there was a giant clap of thunder above her head, followed by huge raindrops pouring from the heaven, grimacing Anne picked up her dress and entered the maze ready to finally get back inside, as Anne turned into the maze, to her surprise she saw Jane Seymour standing there,</p><p>"Mistress Seymour," said Anne drawing herself up as regally as possible, "If you value your life and that of your family, I suggest you move aside now,"</p><p>"Never," hissed Jane, "William has been commanded by the Pope himself to end you," and Anne's eyes widened,</p><p>"The Pope, I doubt it," snorted Anne, it had just occurred to her that Jane never accompanied them when she and Henry sat in council,</p><p>"A Witch like you would say that," said Jane with a growl,</p><p>Anne smirked despite the pain of her contractions, "So you don't know then,"</p><p>"Know what," replied Jane confused,</p><p>"The Emperor wishes to marry his son to my daughter, and his daughter to my son, and has agreed to convince the Pope to declare my marriage to the King valid in the eyes of all of Europe," said Anne and delight surged through Anne's face at the look of surprise and horror on Jane's face,</p><p>"What," stuttered Jane,</p><p>"Had you accompanied us to council meetings you would know that," said Anne grimacing slightly "So I say again stand aside unless you want your entire family to pay the price for your actions," realising Jane was too distracted to make any firm decision, Anne once again picked up her skirts and ran for it, her nightgown at this point was practically see-through from the rain and was extremely heavy but Anne didn't let that stop her as she ran past the fountain, however as she neared the path that would lead directly to the palace, she felt someone slam into her from the side. Anne cried out a she fell, pushing herself against one of the bushes, she looked up to see Brereton standing there with a huge knife and a very dangerous look on his face,</p><p>"Please," said Anne "I beg of you to choose reason, my child is on its way, would you truly kill the unborn child of the King,"</p><p>"None of you brats were sired by His Majesty, they are the spawn of the devil," said Brereton breathing heavily, and with that lunged at her with a knife, Anne managed to jump out of the way, but the knife still caught her arm, with a scream Anne looked around for a way out, Brereton lunged at her again, this time cutting her side,</p><p>"Help," screamed Anne, "Someone help me," she cried hoping there were guards close enough to help her, as Anne backed away she tripped and fell, and with another contraction came the overwhelming urge to push, sending a prayer to God to save her child, Anne watched in horror as Brereton approached,</p><p>"Get away from her," came a furious roar, Brereton and Anne both turned to see Henry standing there, sword drawn an expression of unrivalled fury on his face,</p><p>"Your Majesty, you must see reason, fight the Witch's spell," begged Brereton,</p><p>With another roar of fury, Henry lunged at Brereton punching him to the ground before rushing to Anne's side,</p><p>"Sweetheart," he said scooping her up, before turning to the soldiers, "Get this thing to the tower and alert the Lord Chancellor,"</p><p>"The Baby," said Anne, "The Baby's coming," and Henry nodded in understanding,</p><hr/><p>Cromwell looked up from his notes when a guard came bursting into his room without knocking, hurriedly the guard explained that the Queen had been found and that one of her attackers had been captured and that the had commanded he see to the prisoner himself. Cromwell hurriedly packed away his belongings and barked orders to his servant to follow him with parchment and quills, before racing out the door, hopefully, the prisoner would already be there. Cromwell wanted to get on top of this as fast as possible, he knew the King's wrath was going to be terrible, and he could only pray that the Queen would come through unscathed, as she was the one responsible for showing the King the true path, and whilst he was initially sceptical of her ideas on education it seemed that the people had fallen in love with her for it and were abandoning catholicism in their droves. He could only hope she would come through her ordeal unscathed.</p><hr/><p>Henry paced up and down outside Anne's bedchamber listening to her screams, as soon as she was back in her chambers, Doctor Linacre and the midwife had both ushered him out so they could work on her, stopping briefly he turned to look at the occupants of the room, both George and Thomas Boleyn looked like caged Tigers, Henry suspected that had either them got Brereton, any chance of getting any information out him would be gone. The anger on Thomas Boleyn's face was that of a father, he could only imagine his reaction had someone gone after Elizabeth that way. Turning to Charles however, Henry frowned slightly, his boyhood friend didn't seem remotely concerned that Anne was in there fighting to bring into the world another English Prince or Princess, in fact, he seemed like he was fighting back a smile at her pain. Internally shaking his head perhaps he was imagining things, his mind was already racing after today, two servants had just tried to kill his wife and unborn child, Cromwell had mentioned in passing that there were rumours that the pope had sent an assassin to kill, but neither of them believed it, particularly as Emperor was putting forth proposals for a double marriage, and was apparently finally willing to concede, now Henry was kicking himself for not paying closer attention. All of a sudden everyone's heads shot up when Anne's screams stopped and a baby's wail began, the tension only increased when Lady Nan Saville walked out,</p><p>"Well," demanded Henry,</p><p>"Her Majesty, is delivered of a healthy son," replied Nan,</p><p>Henry couldn't believe it a third son, a little Duke of Somerset, this was now true proof that his marriage to Anne was indeed blessed, now no one could deny it.</p><p>"And the Queen," asked Henry, his heart dropped when Nan hesitated,</p><p>"Her Majesty, is very weak, she has lost a lot of blood and now appears to have fever, the physicians are with her now," and with that Nan walked back into Anne's bedchamber leaving the men outside to wait yet again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So there you have it, will Anne live<br/>Will Jane be found, and what will her fate be,<br/>What should Anne's son be called</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
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    <p>Charles Brandon watched Henry pace up and down the room like an angry wildcat, when he'd first heard the Queen had been attacked and was missing, Charles had thought God had finally answered England's prayers and allowed the Witch to receive his just desserts, he'd had to work hard to keep from cheering when the news was announced, however now Anne had been found and had now delivered a third son, surely God wanted Henry to return to Queen Katherine, but it would seem that Anne Boleyn's spell was stronger than ever, Henry was completely devoted to her now, and thanks to her work with the religious houses and education, the people were now flocking to her cause in droves abandoning the true religion, if something was not done soon then the country would find itself sliding deeper into heresy with a Boleyn King at its head, Charles just hoped someone one would do something to avert such a disaster.</p><hr/><p>Henry's patience and temper were practically at breaking point, he had already been anxious when Nan had re-entered the birthing chamber, but the anxiety had increased dramatically when all of a sudden he heard Anne begin screaming again, followed by a flurry of movement and the sound of the midwife barking orders. As he paced he could tell by the looks on the Boleyn men's face they were trying very hard not to cry or scream, perhaps both at the same time. Looking around again his eyes once again landed on Charles and Henry frowned, whilst everyone else in the room looked tense, angry or scared, Charles looked annoyed as though he couldn't understand why, he knew Charles and Anne didn't get along but surely Charles would be worried for the safety of the Queen and new prince, Henry's head shot up when he heard an infant's cry, but Anne's screams did not stop.</p><hr/><p>Cromwell looked at the man in front of him with disgust, circling him, normally this sort of thing would be left to more junior servants, however, this man had tried to kill the true Queen of England, the mother of the Prince of Wales and as such Cromwell would see to this personally.</p><p>"So, William," began Cromwell "Are you going to tell me who told you to the kill the Queen of England,"</p><p>"I would never harm Queen Katherine," said Brereton shakily,</p><p>Cromwell sighed, it would appear they had one of the Princess Dowager's supporters on their hands, "Who commissioned you," he asked</p><p>Brereton said nothing,</p><p>"We have two ways of doing this William, the easy way or the painful way," said Cromwell when Brereton again said nothing, Cromwell nodded to the man behind him,</p><hr/><p>Henry looked at the door to the now silent birthing chamber, it had been almost four hours since Anne had finally stopped screaming, but no one had come out to tell them what was going on, it was almost midnight and everyone's tempers were close to breaking point. Just as Henry thought he wouldn't be able to take it anymore, Nan Saville walked back out, this time accompanied by Dr Linacre.</p><p>"Well," demanded Henry</p><p>"Her Majesty has delivered two further children another son and daughter," said Nan with a weak smile, and Henry felt like his world had stopped, triplets, another two sons and a daughter, he dared anyone to believe his and Anne's marriage was against God's will when they now had four sons and two daughters in the space of just, 3 years of marriage.</p><p>"And, the Queen," asked Henry desperately, internally pleading with God to spare his Queen,</p><p>This time Dr Linacre spoke, "Her Majesty is very weak, she has lost a lot of blood, and she also appears to have fever from being outside in the rain,"</p><p>"Can I see her," pleaded Henry to caring how he sounded,</p><p>Dr Linacre nodded, "You may,"</p><p>Henry rushed into the birthing chamber when he entered he could see three of Anne's ladies bent over a crib now doubt tending to the children, and whilst he longed to greet his newest children his eyes were drawn very quickly to the occupant of the bed.</p><p>"Anne," whispered Henry, Anne's eyes were closed, her skin a deathly white and coated in sweat,</p><p>"If her Majesty makes it through the night, I believe she will live, however, I'm afraid that is God's hands now," said Dr Linacre before bowing and drawing back to give the King and Queen some privacy,</p><p>Henry approached the bed and knelt next to it grasping Anne's hand which was slick with sweat,</p><p>"Please God," begged Henry "Please I beg of you spare her, I have done everything you wanted, am I still being punished for marrying my brother's wife," for what seemed like an eternity Henry knelt next to Anne's paid pleading with God to spare his Queen and the mother of his children.</p><p>"Henry," croaked a weak voice from the bed, looking up Henry saw that Anne was awake, glancing out of the window he could see the sun rising, had he really been here that long,</p><p>"Oh, Anne, my love," said Henry kissing her hand, "Dr Linacre,"</p><p>The Doctor ran in, took one look at Anne and his face broke into a smile, picking up her wrist he felt her pulse and then her forehead,</p><p>"It appears Her Majesty has once again defied death itself," said Dr Linacre as Henry helped Anne to sit up,</p><p>"Of course, My Lady Perseverance," said Henry grinning</p><p>"How are our children," asked Anne weakly, at the moment Henry realised that neither of them had been able to greet and name there newest darlings.</p><p>Turning to the three ladies standing over the crib, "Bring our children to us," commanded Henry, and a few minutes later Anne held their newest daughter whilst Henry held their two new sons,</p><p>"Well now this is a surprise," jested Anne, she had noticed she was big again whilst pregnant, but had thought it unlikely that she could be carrying twins again,</p><p>Henry chuckled, "The Duke of Somerset can be William, a good strong English name," Anne nodded in agreement, "Any thoughts for our second son," asked Henry</p><p>"What about Arthur," said Anne, Henry looked at her, "It's a strong name, and Katherine's crimes are not the fault of your brother she said softly," Henry nodded,</p><p>"Prince Arthur, the Duke of Richmond it is," said Henry with a smile, "I suppose there is only one name available for our newest little Princess, she could only Anne for her fearless mother,"</p><p>Anne looked ready to cry, "I think it is perfect," she whispered, as had been done with Henry and Edward, ribbons were placed around William and Arthur's wrists, this time a yellow ribbon for William and a black ribbon for Arthur, as the ribbon was tied around Arthur's little wrist, Anne suddenly yawned and the midwife, Nan Saville and Madge Shelton promptly appeared at the bedside to take all three children,</p><p>"Her Majesty should rest as much as possible," said Dr Linacre, "Her strength will return much faster that way,"</p><p>"Of course," said Henry, helping Anne so that she was comfortable when Anne was lying down and comfortable, Henry kissed her forehead, "Sleep my love, I think it's time for the celebrations to start," and he meant it, he'd been so scared that England would be mourning a Queen but now it was celebrating the birth of two princes and a princess, and whilst there was still one attacker outstanding, Brereton was safely in the tower no doubt being questioned by Cromwell, and Henry didn't doubt for a second that Cromwell would wring every piece of information out of him.</p><p>Entering Anne's outer chamber Henry was surprised to see everyone was still there, Thomas and George Boleyn and the Duke of Norfolk both had desperate expressions on their faces, and Henry smiled,</p><p>"The Queen lives as do the children," and Henry could practically feel the relief flowing off of Anne's family, "My Lords Wiltshire and Norfolk, I can entrust you to begin the celebrations,"</p><p>"Absolutely," said Thomas Boleyn, his face a mixture of relief and joy,</p><p>Whilst the other men bustled off to see to the celebrations, Henry once again noticed as Charles left he didn't look nearly as happy as the rest of them in fact his smile looked very forced, Henry frowned making a mental note to get Cromwell to look into Charles, once he was done with Brereton, just in case.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There you go initially I was going to just do twins again, a boy and a girl, however, I couldn't decide between William and Arthur for the boy, so I just stuck in another child,</p><p>I know how unrealistic it would be in the 16th Century for women to have twins then triplets and survive, but it's a fanfiction and I can do what I want with the characters,</p><p>So enjoy the story please, R&amp;R</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
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    <p>Something had happened, Mary was sure of that when the Harlot's sister Lady Mary Stafford came rushing in with a tearful Elizabeth, followed by several guards. Lady Bryan's eyes had widened and had instantly ordered that all of the children be moved to the smaller inner nursery, where the children slept, with only a handful of attendants, with the guards at the doors. It didn't take long for one of the more junior ladies to find out that Anne had been attacked and was now missing. Mary couldn't help but internally rejoice, she immediately prayed that Anne's attacker would prevail and free her father, glancing slightly at the closed doors of the inner nursery, she did feel slightly sorry for her siblings who would lose their mother, but Mary didn't doubt for a second that her mother would be kind to them, and raise them as good Catholics.</p><p>All of the joy and hope that Mary had built was dashed when a day and a half later her father rushed into the nursery, and without even glancing at her went straight into the smaller nursery. Mary felt her heart drop, Anne had lived and as such her spell still held, she watched as her father came out holding Elizabeth with the two boys carried by their nurses,</p><p>"Papa," said Elizabeth, "Is mama okay,"</p><p>"She's fine, a little bit tired," replied Henry,</p><p>"Thanks be to God," said Lady Bryan,</p><p>Henry turned and smiled at her, "Indeed, however, it also seems we are adding not one but three new little ones to your charge,"</p><p>Lady Bryan and Mary both felt their eyes widen,</p><p>"Really," whispered Lady Bryan,</p><p>"Indeed, her Majesty has delivered two sons and a little princess," replied Henry,</p><p>"God is truly generous," said Lady Bryan,</p><p>"Can we go and see them," implored Elizabeth,</p><p>"Of course, my darling girl," replied Henry grinning and with that, he swept out of the nursery, without even sparing so much as a glance towards his eldest daughter,</p><p>Mary watched as he left, she could feel her heartbreaking once more, how strong was Anne's devotion to the devil that he would constantly step in and save her,</p><hr/><p>Cromwell raced from the tower back to the palace, the information that he'd been given was staggering although also not that surprising. Brereton had held out for quite a long time, but Cromwell had been relentless, torturing the man until he broke, furthermore the guards had managed to apprehended Mistress Seymour who hadn't required nearly as much persuasion as Brereton, and between them, they painted a very interesting story. When Cromwell returned to the palace, he learned that the Queen had once again delivered multiple babies, this time two more sons and a second daughter, he guessed that the King was likely to be in the Queen's rooms.</p><p>"Your Majesty," said Cromwell bursting into the Queen's outer chambers,</p><p>Lady Mary Stafford and Mistress Nan Saville looked up at him in shock, it was quite unbecoming for the Lord Chancellor not to mention inappropriate for him to burst into the Queen's chambers like this, especially when the Queen was still so vulnerable and there were three new royal infants.</p><p>"Leave, my Lord," said Mary sternly</p><p>"I must speak to the King," said Cromwell loudly,</p><p>At that moment, the King no doubt alerted by the noise, came out, looking around the room,</p><p>"Lady Mary, Mistress Saville, stay with the Queen," ordered the King before guiding Cromwell out of the Queen's chambers' towards his study, briefly barking orders to the guards not let anyone in until he said otherwise.</p><p>Entering his study, they were joined by the Duke of Suffolk, the Duke of Wiltshire, the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Ormonde, as well several other courtiers,</p><p>"Well Cromwell, what have your learnt from the traitor," growled Henry,</p><p>"Your Majesty," began Cromwell, "It took a while but eventually Brereton confessed that he and Ambassador Chapuys had conspired to the kill the Queen, believing that she is a Witch and has your Majesty caught in her spell,"</p><p>Henry growled, Chapuys did not surprise him at all, "Does, the Emperor know," asked Henry, thinking it unlikely given his overtures of marriage, for both Elizabeth and Harry,</p><p>"Brereton has stated that the Emperor did not know but the Pope did," said Cromwell,</p><p>Henry felt bile rising in his throat, he and Cromwell had both known that there rumours that the Pope had commissioned an attack, he cursed himself for not taking them seriously, "Anything else," asked he hoarsely,</p><p>"We've managed to apprehend and interrogate Mistress Seymour," replied Cromwell, Henry looked up,</p><p>"And," he demanded,</p><p>"She told me that Brereton approached her because they were attending the same sermons, slandering the Queen," said Cromwell</p><p>Henry nodded,</p><p>"She also told me that she and Brereton had met several times, and she'd agreed to help him kill Queen Anne," explained Cromwell, Henry's face darkened,</p><p>"Did they give a reason why," asked the King, although he was fairly certain he already knew the answer,</p><p>"Yes, they claimed to be working on behalf of the Princess Dowager, and the Lady Mary, but not with their knowledge," said Cromwell,</p><p>Henry nodded, well just to be sure he was going to ask Katherine and Mary that himself, but first,</p><p>Turning to the Duke of Norfolk, "You are to take some guards and confine Ambassador Chapuys to his room, he does not leave it until we have word on what the Emperor wishes us to do," the Duke bowed and hurried off to do so,</p><p>"Cromwell, right a letter to the Emperor explaining what has happened," the Lord Chancellor also hurried off to do so,</p><p>"Lord Wiltshire, I want you to escort the Princess Dowager here, I will hear from her own mouth whether or not she had anything to do with this," Thomas Boleyn nodded at left, after issuing a few more commands, Henry decided to go back to Anne, and with that, he turned on his heel and left.</p><hr/><p>Chapuys was worried, less than 24 hours ago he'd heard the news that the Harlot had been attacked and was missing. He'd quietly rejoiced and prayed that at last Brereton would succeed. However, only a few hours later, he'd heard the bells begin to ring, alerting the city that the King had a new child. His heart had sunk, Anne had managed to deliver a living child, Chapuys had prayed that the processes had killed her, but then the messengers came through court announcing that not only was the Queen alive, well and safe, but she had delivered triplets, 2 further sons and another princess. Now he was in his chambers with the Duke of Norfolk who was looking quite relaxed and sipping a glass of wine. Brereton had been caught, it had all been for nothing, not only had he been caught but as he'd predicted, the man had broken under torture.</p><p>"I'm sure Ambassador, that you are delighted to hear of the Queen's latest miracles," said Norfolk smugly,</p><p>Chapuys didn't respond, his fate was sealed he knew that the Emperor wanted to marry his children to the King's and he could not afford to be seen to agree to this. Chapuys had hoped that by killing Anne and her children, his master would not have to make the decision between the security of his realm and the positions of his Aunt and Cousin. This hope would never come to pass, now Brereton's failure would mean that the Emperor would no longer be able to support Queen Katherine and Princess Mary. Norfolk just smiled at Chapuy's silence.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
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    <p>
  <strong>10 May 1536</strong>
</p><p>Thomas Cromwell stared at the letter in front of him. The Emperor had responded to his letter explaining the attack on Queen Anne and his ambassador's role in it, in the letter the Emperor expressed his disgust and horror and gave his consent to deal with Chapuys in any way they deemed fit. Furthermore, his letter outlined an extraordinary proposal, it seemed that his eldest daughter Maria wished to enter a convent and would no longer marry her cousin the Archduke Maximilian, so the Emperor had proposed wedding his nephew to Princess Elizabeth, his daughter the Infanta Joanna to the Prince of Wales and his son to the newborn Princess Anne. Cromwell just stared at the letter, the excellent marriage proposals were one thing, but Cromwell understood perfectly the underlying message, the Emperor was going to officially and publicly repudiate his Aunt and Cousin. Picking up the letter and his papers Cromwell made his way to the Privy council meeting and upon reading the letter he was met by various expressions that ranged from shock and horror to utter delight.</p><p>"Excellent," said Henry, "We have permission to deal with Chapuys, Brereton and Mistress Seymour," and no one was in any doubt by what he meant, and most of the council appeared to agree with him,</p><p>Charles Brandon however was appalled, three good people were going to be executed for trying to do the right thing. He couldn't help but wish that at the very least Anne had died in childbirth,</p><p>Thomas Boleyn all of a sudden had an idea, "Your Majesty, may I put forward a proposal for Mistress Seymour," he asked,</p><p>Henry looked at his father-in-law with a smile, "Of course Your Grace," said Henry warmly,</p><p>"We know Mistress Seymour does not like the Queen, however, I don't believe she thought out the consequences of her actions," said Thomas Boleyn,</p><p>Henry looked at him in surprise, "You think I should spare Mistress Seymour," he asked shocked he would even think that,</p><p>"Spare her life, yes, but I can think of a far more painful punishment for her that execution," said Thomas Boleyn smoothly,</p><hr/><p>"What," asked Catherine Brandon scarcely able to believe what she was hearing,</p><p>"That snake Boleyn is going force Jane Seymour to wed that son of his," ground out Charles, as much as Boleyn disgusted him Charles had to admire the brilliance behind the idea. George Boleyn was in need of a wife with which to father a son, by forcing Jane Seymour to wed him they could kill to birds with one stone, George Boleyn would get a wife whilst Jane Seymour would be bound forever to the family she hated, and her family would be unable to intervene.</p><p>"I can't believe the King agreed to this," said Catherine,</p><p>"I have worse news," admitted Charles, to which his wife looked horrified,</p><p>"What could be worse," asked his wife,</p><p>"The Emperor has decided to abandon his Aunt and cousin," said Charles,</p><p>"What," whispered Catherine,</p><p>"War is brewing on the horizon, and he knows that Francis is looking for an alliance with England," said Charles, "So he is offering his nephew and son for the Whore's daughters and his daughter for her son," he finished,</p><p>Catherine looked disgusted and for a moment Charles thought she might swoon, "Please tell me this is a poor joke," whispered Catherine,</p><p>Charles looked at her sadly, "I'm afraid not,"</p><p>"Can you not make the King see reason," asked Catherine, "This farce has gone on too long,"</p><p>"There is nothing I can do," said Charles grimly, "Four sons have convinced the King he was right to split from Queen Katherine,"</p><p>Catherine crossed herself, "Is there nothing that can be done,"</p><p>Charles grimaced "I don't know, the King has doubled the security around the harlot, so I don't see how anyone could get to her,"</p><p>Catherine sighed, "I can only pray that God has a plan,"</p><hr/><p>Anne smiled as she watched Elizabeth practice her reading with her siblings and Anne's ladies as her audience. They were currently seated in her lounge, she'd been permitted to leave her bed but was still confined to her chambers, something that Anne for once was not unhappy about, she was more than content to stay in her chambers spending as much time with her children as possible. Looking up from her children she noticed Henry entering, with a smile she pressed a finger to her lips, and Henry nodded with a grin. When Elizabeth finished both Anne and Henry clapped, Elizabeth, Harry and Ned turned to see their father,</p><p>"Papa," said Elizabeth running over to him, "What did you think of my reading,"</p><p>"Masterful," declared Henry, "No doubt you shall be a great scholar one day,"</p><p>Elizabeth giggled,</p><p>"How are you my darling," said Henry turning Anne kissing her cheek,</p><p>"I am well," replied Anne, before noticing Harry try to stifle a yawn, "I think it's nap time," she said to Lady Bryan who nodded,</p><p>"Of course," said Lady Bryan, as the children's caretakers ushered them out of the room, when they were gone Henry sat down next to Anne,</p><p>"I've had a reply from the Emperor," said Henry,</p><p>Anne raised an eyebrow, "Oh and what does he have to say,"</p><p>"He has agreed to let us punish Chapuys and he's made a new marriage proposal," said Henry</p><p>Anne's curiosity was peaked,</p><p>"He is offering his nephew Maximilian for Elizabeth, and his son for Annette and his daughter for Harry," continued Henry,</p><p>This time both of Anne's eyebrows raised, "He must truly be desperate for England's friendship then," like everyone else Anne could read the underlying message, in order to make this proposal he was willing to acknowledge Anne as Queen, furthermore, he would never champion Mary's rights as that would threaten his daughter, and whilst she would have preferred a french match for her darling children Anne realised that these offers were truly excellent.</p><p>"Do you think we should accept the proposals," asked Henry looking at her,</p><p>Anne looked him the eye, "Yes I do, this is a good offer," she said,</p><p>Henry nodded and then paused, "There's something else," he said slowly,</p><p>"My love," said Anne concerned</p><p>"Your father has proposed a rather unique punishment for Mistress Seymour," said Henry</p><p>Anne raised an eyebrow, "What sort of punishment,"</p><p>"We are going to force Mistress Seymour to wed your brother," said Henry looking at her carefully,</p><p>Anne froze, her initial reaction was anger and fury but the more she thought about the more the plan made sense. She didn't believe that Mistress Seymour was truly evil, naive and misguided perhaps but not evil and did not truly deserve to be executed. Anne was sure that George would provide the appropriate punishment and then be a good husband to her and this way Anne could keep an eye on her.</p><p>"I think it could work," said Anne and at Henry's surprised look voiced her thoughts,</p><p>"Are you sure," said Henry</p><p>"I am," said Anne firmly, before deciding to turn to cheerier topic, "How are the monasteries going,"</p><p>Henry perked up, "Very well, there will be three ready by September,"</p><p>Anne nodded, between them she, her father and Henry had decided that the school year would run from September to May, that way the children would be out of school by the time they were needed to help with the summer harvests. The boys and girls would learn many lessons together, including reading, writing, arithmetic, horse riding, Latin and French. The boys would also learn to use a sword and bow, whilst the girls would learn to sew and to run a household. As predicted Anne's popularity and support had risen enormously, support that had only increased as news of her attack and the safe arrival of triplets spread throughout England, surely now they would have a golden future.</p>
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